Golf Events / Editor / 01 May 2007 /

Tiger Woods will be back on the prowl again this week as he returns to action in a star-studded field at the Wachovia Championship.

Woods has not been seen in competitive action since he failed in his quest to win a fifth Green Jacket at the US Masters last month, being forced to settle for a tie for second behind surprise winner Zach Johnson.

The world number one has preferred instead to concentrate on beginning honing his game for next month's US Open at Oakmont, where he played a practice round last week.

But the Wachovia Championship is one of the few PGA Tour titles that Woods is yet to win and he will be anxious for a visit to the winner's enclosure ahead of the second Grand Slam of the season.

Woods has assumed his usual place at the head of the Betfair market for this week's event, which boasts the top 10 players in the world and 28 of the top 30 ranked golfers - Paul Casey and Justin Rose being the missing names.

But after struggling with his game for large parts of the US Masters, Woods is trading at longer odds than usual of 3.9 to win and he may be worth following at that price.

After his improved showing last week, Phil Mickelson is available to back at
16 ahead of FedExCup leader and two-two winner this season, Vijay Singh, who is trading around three points longer.

Jim Furyk has an outstanding record at the tournament in the last two years, finishing runner-up in 2005 then winning last year, and can be backed at 26 to defend his title together with Ernie Els.

Adam Scott and Retief Goosen are both trading at 29 with Luke Donald the highest placed European in the market and trading at 32 to win after his second place at the Byron Nelson Championship last week and 4.3 to top the European challenge.

The last three times the Wachovia Championship has been staged has been decided by a play-off and it looks likely that the 2007 version will be equally tight, especially with the way the course at Quail Hollow is expected to play this week.

Measuring 7,442 yards, tree-lined and featuring numerous doglegs, the venue is regarded as a course that suits players who can shape the ball both ways.

It will also test their mental strength with the 480-yard closing hole ranked among the top 10 hardest holes on the PGA Tour for the last three years. David Toms carded an eight there on his way to winning in 2003 while Goosen had a nine in the final round last year.

There will be a heavy emphasis on accuracy this week with three-inch rough expected to play havoc with those that stray off-line and lightning-fast greens expected after a recent dry spell.

The last three winners - Furyk, Singh and Joey Sindelar - have all finished no lower than fourth in the statistics for greens in regulations hit and it would be a major surprise if that is not the case again this week.

This should suit Woods, who is ranked third in GIR hit so far this year, as he looks to make it third time lucky at Quail Hollow after finishing third and 11th on his two previous appearances. He is trading at 1.75 to place in the first five and 1.33 to finish in the top 10.

Mickelson will arrive in North Carolina boosted by his tie for third behind Scott Verplank last week and his confidence restored by new coach Butch Harmon. His odds of 4.3 to come in the top five and 2.3 to finish in the top 10 could be generous.

Singh, trading at a point longer than Mickelson to finish in the first five and 2.52 to come in the top looks sure to be a popular selection among backers this week based on his previous record at Quail Hollow.

The Fijian was champion here two years ago, runner-up to Toms in the inaugural championship in 2003 and has finished in the top 10 in three out of his four appearances.

The South African duo of Els and Goosen, trading at 5.8 and 6.6 to finish in the top five, will be hopeful of featuring after good performances in the last month and compatriot Rory Sabbatini looks attractively priced at 75 to win, while this week's venue tends to bring out the best in Furyk and he will be hoping it can kick-start his season.

Scott, a generous-looking 7.6 to come in the first five, also enjoys the course and will be aiming to go two better than 2006 when he finished third, while Donald looks a likely challenger come Sunday if he can keep his momentum going from last week.

European Order of Merit leader, Henrik Stenson, available at 46 to win, will be making his debut at the championship this week and it will be interesting to see how he fares.

His Ryder Cup team-mates, Padraig Harrington and Sergio Garcia, could also go well at odds of 50 to win on a course that is likely to suit them, while Ian Poulter comes into the tournament in good form after finishing joint third and is available at attractive odds of 110 to win and 15.5 to finish in the first five.

Ken Duke is one of the form horses on the PGA Tour in recent weeks having managed three successive top 10 finishes and is trading at 9.2 to make it four in a row.

Vaughn Taylor and Lucas Glover, available at 50 and 75 to win, have enjoyed excellent seasons so far and both finished in the top 10 last year while 2004 champion, Joey Sindelar, is another who plays well and may go well at long odds of 330 to win and 16 to come in the top 10.

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